Universal Journal of Agricultural Research 8(1): 1-10, 2020 http://www.hrpub.org
DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2020.080101
A Review of the Political Economy of Agriculture in
Uganda: Women, Property Rights, and
Other Challenges
Dastan Bamwesigye
1,3,*
, Azdren Doli
1,3
, Kyom Jonathan Adamu
2,3
, Sheku Kemoh Mansaray
3
1
Department of Forest and Wood Products Economics and Policy, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic
2
Department of Landscape Management, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic
3
Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic
Received July 26, 2019; Revised August 19, 2019; Accepted October 20, 2019
Copyright©2020 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under
the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License
Abstract In Uganda, agriculture remains the backbone
of the economy, like in the rest of African countries. The
current literature review explores agriculture situations in
Uganda while focusing on the role of women, land
ownership, and the current policy framework. The authors
sought to illustrate some of the core challenges in
agriculture and how their impact on agricultural output.
The researchers explored various developments in Uganda,
such as employment, the role of women, and challenges
faced, especially in the aspect related to policy framework
as compared to other developing countries such as Ghana,
Rwanda, and South Africa. Agricultural production in
Uganda is largely dominated by smallholders’ farmers,
especially those with less than five hectares. These farmers
produce a wide range of crops for both consumption and
commercial purpose. Challenges such as lack of or limited
access to finance, limited access to land, and price
fluctuation are discussed. The researchers revealed that
there is limited use of agricultural technologies by the
farmers.
Keywords Agriculture, Challenges, Economy,
Employment, Financing, Land, Policy Framework,
Smallholder Farmers, Women
1. Introduction
Most African economies are thought to highly
dependent on Agriculture for Gross Domestic Product
earnings as well as food security [1-5]. Agriculture
continues to be the core sector in the economic
development of Uganda [1]. It is also highlighted that
agriculture is essential when it comes to sustainable
development as well as poverty reduction in developing
countries [6]. In this case, it is not surprising that
agricultural production, especially by small-scale farmers
in developing countries contributes to the sustainability of
food security in both rural and urban population. However,
it is worth mentioning that most of the small-scale farmers
in developing countries such as Uganda face many
challenges related to land, financial support, limited use of
technology, and price fluctuation to mention but a few
[7-9]. Nonetheless, a wide range of research indicates that
agriculture is still considered to be a powerful means in a
bid to achieve inclusive development in Uganda [10 -12].
Research shows that more than 60% of Ugandans are
engaged in agriculture [6]. In fact, the sector has always
been given priority in the national development plan. Some
of the traditional cash crops common in Uganda include
coffee, cocoa, and tea to mention but a few [13].
Additionally, other crops include maize, horticulture
produce, beans, and soya beans.
In the study conducted by Bamwesigye & Pomazalova
[1], they highlighted that Uganda is among the leading
coffee producers and exporters across the globe. They add
that coffee earns an average of more than 60% of
agriculture annual export revenue in the country.
Several scholars report that the success of agriculture
sector in Uganda depends on several factors, and some of
the factors are within the sector while others are general
connected to the economy of the country [6]. With the aim
of getting to the core of the current situation on agriculture
in Uganda, the paper explores various aspects such as
employment in agriculture, women in agriculture,
challenges, current policy framework, strength and
weaknesses are analysed and discussed.
CITE THIS PAPER
[1] Dastan Bamwesigye , Azdren Doli , Kyom Jonathan Adamu , Sheku Kemoh Mansaray , "A Review of the Political Economy of
Agriculture in Uganda: Women, Property Rights, and Other Challenges," Universal Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. 8, No. 1,
pp. 1 - 10, 2020. DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2020.080101.